Venetian blind



. 5, 1950 a. H. HAUSER ETAL VENETIAN BLIND Filed Dec. 28, 1945 a INVENTORS GEORGE h. H/IUSEE 38y FRED R. WAG/v47? ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 5, 1950 VENETIAN BLIND George H. Hauser, Berkeley, and Fred R. Wagner, Oakland, Calif., assignors to Brooks Walker,

Piedmont, Calif.

Application December 28, 1945, Serial No. 637,585

4 Claims.

Our invention pertains to improvements in Venetian blinds.

One of the objects of our invention is to provide a Venetian blind from which the slats may be readily removed for purposes of cleaning, adjustment, or replacement, without disassembling the entire blind.

Another object is to provide a Venetian blind in which the angular position of the slats may be adjusted over a wide angle in order to obtain improved control of lighting and ventilation.

Another object is to provide a Venetian blind in which the slats may be angularly adjusted so as to produce more complete closure than heretofore obtained, in order to improve the darkening or black-out characteristics of the blind and to insure increased privacy.

Another object is to provide a Venetian blind which may be readily raised or lowered while the slats remain in their partially or completely closed position.

Another object is to provide a Venetian blind having slats free of perforations whereby the slats are of uniform strength throughout their length and installation and assembly of Venetian blinds of different dimensions is facilitated.

Another object is to provide fasteners for individually securing slats to the cross-straps of the tapes of a Venetian blind.

Another object is to provide compound clips for ind'vidually fastening slats to the cross-straps of a Venetian blind.

Still another object is to provide an improved slat which may be readily fastened to the crossstraps of the tapes of a Venetian blind.

And still another object is to provide improved slats with clips adapted to secure the slats individually to the cross-straps of a Venetian blind.

The foregoing and other objects of our invention, together with numerous advantages thereof, may be more readily understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanyin drawing wherein- Figure 1 is an isometric fragmentary view of the pertinent portion of a Venetian blind incorporating our invention;

F'gure 2 is a sectional view in elevation of our improved Venetian blind taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a plan view, partly in section, of our Venetian blind of Figure 2 taken on the line 3-3;

Figure 4 is an isometric view of a compound clip for use in the Venetian blind of Figures 1, 2 and. 3; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken lengthwise through the middle of one type of slat used in an alternative form of our invention.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 illustrate a preferred embodiment of our invention. The Venetian blind here illustrated ut'lizes slats which contain no perforations whatever, thus permitting the use of slats which are of uniform strength throughout their entire length and thus not subject to creasing at any particular point when the slats are subjected to flexing forces.

This Venetian blind utilizes tapes of the ladder type. These tapes have side-straps and crossstraps. The slats are ind'vidually secured to the cross-straps by means of clips of the type illustrated in Figure 4, which permit ready removal and adjustment of individual slats.

To permit raising and lowering of the blind, lift cords are disposed along the straps between the inner surfaces thereof and the adjacent edges of the slats. With this arrangement the angular position of the slats does not in any way interfere with the lifting action of these cords, so that the Venetian blind may be raised or lowered, either partially or entirely, irrespective of whether the slats are in fully open or fully closed position. or in any intermediate position.

More particularly, referring to Figures 1, 2, and 3, the Venetian blind is provided with a head rail Ill, a tilt rail II, and a bottom rail I2. The head rail I0 is supported in any conventional manner from the wall of a room or the upper cross-member of a window frame in which the Venetian blind is to be used. The tilt rail II is 'pivotally supported at its ends from the head rail H] in conventional manner. Inasmuch as the means for supporting the head rail and the tilt rail are conventional, no attempt has beenmade to either illustrate or describe the same. Suitable conventional mechanism including gearing and tilt ropes (not shown) are used for adjusting the angular position of the tilt rail.

The bottom rail I2 is suspended from the tilt rail H by means of two tapes 20 and 30 near opposite ends thereof. The tapes 20 and 30 are made of flexible woven material such as cotton textile. The first tape 20 includes two side-straps 2| and 22 and a series of cross-straps or ladders 23, 24, 25, 26, etc. The side-straps 2| and 22 are securely tacked or otherwise attached to the upper surface of the tilt rail I l; they are also tacked or rigidly secured to the lower surface of the bottom rail l2. The other tape 30 is likewise provided with two side-straps 3| and 32 interconnecting cross-straps or ladders 33, 34, 35, 88,

etc., and is similarly attached to the tilt rail n and the bottom rail |2.

Two pairs of suspension or lifting cords are suitable openings 46 and 41 in the bottom rail and are knotted at the lower ends thereof in order to support the bottom rail l2. The lower ends of the side-straps 2| and 22 are folded over these knots to improve the appearance at the bottom. The other pair of suspension cords 58 and 5| are similarly arranged adjacent the inner surfaces of the side-straps 3| and 32 of the other tape 30.

The openings in the head rail ID, the tilt rail H, and the bottom rail |2 are so spaced as to cause the cords to hang substantially freely adjacent the inner surfaces of the side-straps of the two tapes 28 and 3|.

The cross-straps 23, 24, etc. which interconnect the side-straps of the tape are alternately disposed adjacent opposite edges of the tape on opposite sides of the lifting cords and 4|. Similarly the cross-straps 33, 34, etc. which interconnect the side-straps of the tape 80 are alternately disposed on opposite sides of the lifting cords and 5|.

A series of slats 60, 6|, 62, etc. are supported between the two tapes by the cross-straps and are securely fastened to the cross-straps at points intermediate the ends thereof by means of compound clips 18, H, 12, etc., respectively. Alternate slats 60, 62, etc. are attached to the cross-straps 33, 35, etc., respectively, of one tape 30, and the remaining slats 6|, 63, etc. are similarly attached to the cross-straps 24, 28, etc., respectively, of the other tape 20.

These slats are preferably made by cutting painted rolled metal strips to length and are retained intact, that is, they are not perforated as has been the conventional practice in the prior art. The edges of the slats, in the process of preparation, are machine rounded to present a smooth finish, leaving little tendency to cut the material out of which the cords are made.

A compound clip of the type which I prefer to use for fastening the slats to the cross-straps is illustrated in Figure 4. This clip 80 comprises two plate clips 8| and 82 connected or coupled by a common plate 83, of rectangular shape. One of the clips, 8|, is provided with an individual plate 84 of the same shape and size as the common plate 83. The two plates 83 and 84 are resiliently hinged at the long sides thereof by means of an enlarged cylindrical spring hinge 85. When not in use the two plates 83 and 84 are spaced apart a distance smaller than the thick ness of a slat with which it is to be used. These plates and the cylindrical spring hinge joining them thus form a plate spring which is normally substantially closed and is thus suitable for tightly gripping a slat and holding it in position. The edge of the plate 84 remote from the spring hinge 85 is preferably bent up to facilitate insertion of the slat to be engaged.

The associated clip 82 is also provided with an individual plate 86. This plate has one dimension, the axial dimension, equal to the width of the common plate 88, and another dimension normal thereto which is somewhat shorter than the long dimension of the rectangular common plate 83. This plate 88 and the common plate 83 are resiliently hinged by means of an enlarged cylindrical spring 81 along the short side of the commonplate 83. This individual plate 85 and the common plate 88 are normally spaced apart a distance which is small compared to the thickness of a cross-strap when compressed. Thus these plates 88 and 88 and the cylindrical spring 81 provide a clip which is normally substantially closed and is adapted to grip a cross-strap tightly. The edge of the plate 88 remote from the spring hinge 81 is similarly bent up to facilitate engaging a cross-strap.

It is to be noted that the two spring hinges of the compound clip are arranged along mutually perpendicular edges of the common plate, thus hinging the two clips 8| and 82 along perpendicular axes. It is also to be noted that the plates 84 and 86 individual to the two clips are disposed on opposite sides of the common plate 83. With this arrangement, the smaller clip 82 may be readily pressed upon one of the crossstraps so as to grip it tightly. Then the slat which is to be fastened to that cross-strap may be placed at the proper position in the two tapes 28 and 38 and pressed between the two plates of the larger clip 8| and thus be firmly secured in position.

The degree of closure of the Venetian blind is varied by adjusting the angular position of the tilt rail ll.

' similarly angularly adjusted, thereby maintaining a parallel relationship between the tilt rail, the bottom rail, and the cross-straps. The slats are tilted with the cross-straps and the openings between the slats thereby adjusted to any desired degree.

By virtue of the fact that the suspension ropes are arranged at the edges of the slats instead of passing therethrough. as in conventional Venetian blinds, the angular position of the slats is subjectto wider angular adjustments than usual and may be adjusted to a substantially vertical position if desired, so as to effect a substantially complete blocking of light therethrough.

In its completely closed condition, the Venetian blind of our invention may be raised or lowered with ease, an operation which cannot satisfactorily be performed with Venetian blinds of conventional design due to snagging of the lift ropes on the sharp edges, of the slat perforations through which they pass.

From the foregoing description of our invention, it will be appreciated that the slats of our improved Venetian blind may be readily removed from the clips either for purposes of replacement or cleaning. They may be horizontally adjusted in position to adapt them to the window inwhich the blind is used; and they may be reversed, if desired, so that they may be installed either concave upward or concave downward to satisfy the tastes of the owner.

It will also be appreciated that numerous advantages accrue from the use of slats free from 78 perforations through which a suspension cord passes in each of the tapes, as is customary in conventional Venetian blinds. In the first place with unperforated slats it is a relatively simple matter to install Venetian blinds in windows of different widths, it only-being necessary to cut the slats to the proper length and then to clip them in their proper lateral positions. The elimination of perforations in the slats through which a suspension rope passes, also has the advantage of increasing the life of the suspension ropes, for, as is well known, such perforations are usually left with sharp cutting edges as a natural result of the punchin operation necessary, and such sharp edges wear the susension ropes seriously, especially when the Venetian blind is raised or lowered with the slats in any but a fully open, or horizontal position.

In Figure 5 there is illustrated a slat 90 in which a clip 9| is directly embodied. This clip comprises a resilient rectangular leaf 92 cut directly in the body of the slat 90, and bent away from the surface of the slat. The free end 93 of the leaf 92, however, is inclined backward toward the surface of the slat 90 into the opening 94 created by its formation. The free tip of the leaf 92, however, is bent up so as to present a wedge-shaped opening and thereby facilitate insertion of a cross-strap. Such clips may be formed either at both ends of the slats or at one end only as desired.

It will be readily appreciated that the form of our Venetian blind utilizing slats of the type illustrated in Figure 5, also has many of the advantages of that previously described herein, especially with reference to the freedom of angular adjustment of the slats and the ability to raise and lower the blind, even in its fully closed condition.

From the foregoing description, it will thus be appreciated that we have provided a Venetian blind which accomplishes the objects of our invention, and it will be understood that many variations in the detailed structure of the blind and the means for clipping the slats to the cross-straps may be made without departing from the concepts underlyin our invention. Accordingly, we do not desire to be limited to the details of the embodiments of our invention described, but only by the appended claims.

6 We claim: 1. A fastener for a Venetian blind having crossstraps and slats comprising a compound clip having one clip adapted to grip a cross-strap and another clip adapted to grip a slat at the upper and lower faces thereof, and being slidable over the edge of said slat.

2. A fastener for a Venetian blind having cross-straps and slats comprising a compound clip having a pair of clips resiliently hinged along mutually perpendicular axes, one of said clips being adapted to grip a cross-strap and the other clip being adapted to grip a slat at the upper and lower faces thereof, and being slidable over the edge of said slat.-

3. In a Venetian blind, having ladder tapes with cross rungs, slats, and lifting cords, said slats resting on the cross rungs of' the ladder tapes, a clip carried by said cross rung for securing said slats to one of the cross rungs of the ladder tape to provide the slat with horizontal stability relative to said ladder tape, said clip gripping the upper and lower faces of said slat adjacent to said cross runs.

I 4. A fastener for a Venetian blind having cross straps and slats comprising a compound clip having one clip adapted to engage a slat near the edge thereof by gripping the upper and lower face of said slat and another clip adapted to engage the cros strap adjacent to the engaged portion of said slat.

GEORGE H. HAUSER.

FRED R. WAGNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

